September 9, 2016

"A six-second clip posted online shows three men jostling the precarious rock sandstone pedestal, known locally as 'the duckbill,' which it resembles. Someone, apparently a witness, swears at what he sees; the rock tumbles to the ground with a thud; someone else screams, 'Got him!'... After the rock fell, [the video-maker] and his friends confronted the group. The group apparently felt they were doing a public service: A friend had broken a leg on the formation; it was a safety hazard, they said."

17 comments:

I am amazed at how easy it was to topple. There are a lot of pictures on-line of people standing on it and sitting on it...surprised it didn't go on it's own or when people were posing for a picture on top of it. If it was so sacred a spot...should people have been standing on it? I remember when the Old Man in the Mountains collapsed. Very interesting little video about it and what the state of NH did in the memory of the rock formation. https://youtu.be/n92KjA7fn30

Where they wrong to topple the rock? Before you make that decision, remember you are a human, not just a "judge" in this case. Bring your sex and race into your decision. Remember however you decide their will be a loser.

My brother lives near Cape Kiwanda. He's probably livid about this. The ocean takes a few lives there each year, though, mostly due to people's stupidity, so nature does get even. Some punks did something similar to this in Utah a couple of years ago--pushing over a balanced rock that had been a landmark for centuries. If I remember correctly, the father of one of the boys took part. Vandalizing and littering happen to be big pet peeves of mine. I'll try to chill.

So are those people who make piles of rocks not just along trails but also all the heck over streamsides, near waterfalls, at cliff faces, or just in the middle of nowhere to be praised or also damned for altering nature?

I, for one, look forward to cairns being built and demolished by the opposing sides, and their contrary efforts devolving into stone throwing, bloody fights.